For those of you who have never done this, get a friend to turn your steering wheel from side to side while you watch your steering rack. Make sure there are no kids present or they will learn a few new expletives! What a shocker it is. The rack moves like 5 to 10mm side to side plus an in and out movement as well.
In this case I was the one operating the wheel and my buddy was in the engine bay. I heard him say "oh come on, give me a break!" when he saw what the rack was doing.

Get your rack braces people!

Then there is the other thing with my wobbly steering wheel. I removed a whole bunch of panels and so on to reveal the steering column. There is a gold plated bracket that holds a white plastic bush. The shaft in this bush appears to be quite free to wobble up and down. The result of this is a steering wheel that is free to wobble up and down (but not side to side....). Worn out after a mere 100,000kms?????

That's what you get for living in opposite land. If your steering wheel was on the left (driver's side) of the car and water swirled down the drain properly and if it got warmer when you drove south, you wouldn't have this problem

Seriously, I agree with nuggett about the firewall issue (which seems to hit RHD cars mostly) I've done this on my car and never seen any real wobble.

Yes it most likely is cracked. I can't possibly imagine that amount of movement being normal! Might explain some of the sounds I get from the rack as well.

Here in the convict colony known as Australia (pronounced "straya" with a nasal twang by ocker aussie bushman types), water twirls the right way, goin North means getting warm, and steering wheels are on the right. Animals keep their young in a pouch and bounce to get around. If you get called a Galah, it does not mean you are a gregarious parrot with a pink chest and grey back. Thongs are worn on your feet and not on your @ss!

Yes it most likely is cracked. I can't possibly imagine that amount of movement being normal! Might explain some of the sounds I get from the rack as well.

Here in the convict colony known as Australia (pronounced "straya" with a nasal twang by ocker aussie bushman types), water twirls the right way, goin North means getting warm, and steering wheels are on the right. Animals keep their young in a pouch and bounce to get around. If you get called a Galah, it does not mean you are a gregarious parrot with a pink chest and grey back. Thongs are worn on your feet and not on your @ss!

Pete

And when those other colonials from the place where everything is bigger start going on about who they're 'rooting' for, most Strayans wet themselves with mirth . Our thongs go between our cheeks because we have flip-flops on our feet, and I've been told I make more noise than a pack of galahs in the past.

As for the bulkhead, 5-10mm deflection is about normal - really; but having an associated noise does raise concerns that should be investigated.

I'll be having the annual inspection soon on one of my 900's and this area is one they check in depth; it is well known as this chassis arrangement was used from around 1980 [Vauxhall Astra/Opel Kaddett] to about 1998 with other cars in the GM euro mix using the same rack on bulkhead design.

And when those other colonials from the place where everything is bigger start going on about who they're 'rooting' for, most Strayans wet themselves with mirth . Our thongs go between our cheeks because we have flip-flops on our feet, and I've been told I make more noise than a pack of galahs in the past.

Ahh that's bloody bonza Raggy! Had a good chuckle out of that.

So I bet the title 'rack wobble' got some of yo'all thinking of something else...

Anyhoo, any thoughts on that nylon bush in the gold coloured bracket under the dash?